III ICBM test not in response to recent North Korean actions: Pentagon

美 ICBM 미니트맨3 시험발사 성공 Another unarmed American ICBM lit up the night sky over California on Wednesday. The launch comes as North Korea continues to ramp up tensions with its stream of provocations,... but the U.S. military says the timing is purely coincidental. Cha Sang-mi reports. It was planned long ago,...but the launch of an unarmed ICBM into the Pacific Ocean serves as a timely reminder of Washington's warning to Pyongyang... that "all options are on the table." In a statement Wednesday,... the Pentagon said the launch of the Minuteman III shows America's nuclear enterprise is "safe, secure, effective and ready to be able to deter, detect and defend against attacks on the United States and its allies." The ICBM traveled nearly six-thousand-eight hundred kilometers over the Pacific Ocean,... hitting a target area in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The launch is Washington's fourth so far this fiscal year,... and follows the third test in May. The Pentagon says preparations for each test begin months and months in advance, stressing that tests are unrelated to recent geopolitical developments. Even so, the launch comes at a time of rising tensions following North Korea's spate of nuclear and missile provocations. The maximum range of the Minuteman III is 13-thousand kilometers, meaning it can hit Pyongyang. In addition, unlike North Korea's ICBMs,... the regime knows the U.S. missile is deadly accurate AND able to detonate upon arrival. Cha Sang-mi, Arirang News. Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages Facebook(NEWS):   / newsarirang   Homepage: http://www.arirang.com Facebook:   / arirangtv   Twitter:   / arirangworld   Instagram:   / arirangworld